The Other Side of the Lorebook
by A. E. Stover
Summary: His history professor spotted him taking out the trash in the dead of night. And by "trash," he meant "vampire," and by "taking out," he meant "stabbing a silver knife into its chest."


_**THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LOREBOOK  
**_ written by **A. E. Stover  
** this version is **unedited**

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I wrote vampire trashfic. Never mention this to me because this is embarrassing as fuck. God.

A BIIIG thank you to **Tiny Octopus** (FFN) for talking to me about what Erwin's blood might taste like. You are an amazing person. *throws confetti at you*

Guys, go read her stuff. It's the most delectable stuff out here.

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 **01\. Vampire Trash**

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His history professor spotted him taking out the trash in the dead of night. And by "trash," he meant "vampire," and by "taking out," he meant "stabbing a silver knife into its chest."

The flashlight in his professor's hand clattered to the pavement. Even in the darkness, Levi could see the blood drain from Professor Smith's face. Heh. Drain. Haha… No, that was terrible. Bad, Levi. Bad.

"Hello," Levi grunted, pulling out the knife with a wet squelch.

"Fuck you," was the wet cough that replied from below him.

"I wasn't talking to you, Eren. I was talking to our professor." Levi stared long and hard at the open wound in Eren's chest. The bleeding hadn't stopped yet, and there wasn't any hissing from the wound. "I think you were right about being sired. Your healing kicks in immediately, right?"

Eren didn't reply. Not just because he was a rude jerkass bastard (which he was), but because being stabbed in the chest came with a few complications.

Including one fainted Erwin Smith.

Levi scratched his head. When had that happened? Oh well. Levi dug around Eren's clothes for a phone. The idiot hadn't locked it with a passcode, so Levi was able to make a call rather quickly.

Or so the plan went. Naturally, Eren Jaeger was one of those people who renamed all of his contacts with quirky names from shitown and crapville. Who the fuck was anybody on this list? After checking some numbers, he found out that he, apparently, was "Acker-Thing 1." He guessed "Acker-Thing 2" was Mikasa.

After scrolling through copious amounts of idiocy — beary$$$; bertlequertle; braunzer; douchecanoe; FatheroftheYear; HEYHEYHEYHE-man; monstervagina (he had no idea what to think of that one); sproinker; THAT DUDE FROM CHEM; The Mother — Levi gave up and rooted through Eren's messages to try and identify someone useful.

In a recent conversation with douchecanoe, Levi caught sight of the words "horseface" and "suicidal bastard" and knew immediately who it was.

Not the best choice for back-up, but he was reliable at least. Levi dialed him. He got through after about eight rings. Soon, an irate, sleep-laced voice hissed in his ear. _"Eren, you motherfu_ — _"_ a pause, with some noise like a stifled yawn, _"_ — _ker… I'm gonna kick your ass when I_ — _"_

"It's Levi."

A prolonged silence streamed through the line.

 _"_ _…_ _I'm still kicking his ass."_

"You can do it right now, if you want. We're in Marian Square, a few blocks south from campus. Eren got himself sired."

 _"I… I don't know what that means."_

Levi exhaled sharply through his nose. "Of course you don't. Just get over here. Eren's not in the best condition right now. And bring someone with you. Someone smart."

 _"O-Okay, just_ — _Don't move, okay? I_ — _I'll be there. Wait, where's_ — _"_

The line went dead. Because the phone was out of juice. Levi ground his teeth. Fucking great.

Levi stared back down at Eren, chest wound still bleeding and very much there. Levi wasn't too worried; he was pretty much immortal before, and from the looks of it he probably was immortal for real, now.

He was worried about the Smith guy passed out over there. The fuck was a guy like that even doing out here this late? Grabbing some coke? Guy didn't look the type to snort up, being some world-renown scholar and archaeologist. But why else would he be in Marian Square?

A distant howl made Levi freeze, only for a second. He swore under his breath; that was a piss-poor reaction — a mistake like that could get him killed. It's fine, he told himself, shit happens when you take a break; it'll take time to get back into it. So, don't take a break. Okay, then don't get stabbed in the back. Okay. Okay.

There was a lot of stabbing involved in his life, he realized.

And a lot of internal strife.

Whoop dee doo.

He heard the howl again, and this time it was coupled with snickering. He felt the hairs rise on his neck and sensed the pounce coming. Levi jammed his forearm back, knocking into his attacker's throat, and hurled the animal onto its back. His silver knife was raised above the animal's eye, eliciting a visceral reaction.

"Whoa, _ack!_ It—It's _me!"_ the animal choked out in perfect English.

Levi hit the blunt end of his knife against the skull of the squirming animal. "Springer, you little shit. What if I killed you?"

The shapeshifter rolled away and exchanged his animalistic features for human ones. All traces of whatever the little wazzock had turned into _(wolf? bear? dog? what the fuck?)_ disappeared in a matter of seconds. A stubborn scowl shaped Connie's face as he rubbed the top of his head. "I was just messing around!"

"Does this look like a time to be messing around?" Levi snapped.

Connie scowled. "Eren's always getting into bad stuff and bouncing right back up. What's so different about now?"

 _Learn to read the situation, shit for brains._ He didn't say that out loud, though. That'd kill the poor kid's heart. So instead, Levi grit his teeth. Auruo was supposed to be training this little fucker. What the fuck was he doing? Scraping out the last of Connie's marbles for his shitty collection? He resisted the urge to smack his hand into his face. Too much blood and filth for that. Not worth it.

Connie scooted close, eyes squinting. He sniffed a few times, moving around Eren as if he were a dog. Wow, was Mike training him now? That'd be a surprise.

When he pulled back, Connie looked upset. "He's… He doesn't smell like… Like he usually does. Are you sure this is Eren?"

"Yeah. He's been sired."

Connie's already big eyes got bigger as he paled. "Oh. Oh, man. Is — Is he… _You_ know."

Levi snorted. "Dead? Probably."

When Connie turned even paler, Levi sighed too loudly, exasperation getting the better of him. "You don't know what sired means either, do you."

Before Connie could respond, Levi heard urgent, heavy footsteps heading their way.

"That's Jean! I'd recognize that trot anywhere," Connie said, face breaking into relief.

Levi sighed. "Thank God," he muttered, leaning back on his hands.

"He'll know what to do, right? Eren's gonna be alright now."

Levi held back from telling Connie to _shut up, sit tight, and wait, you little shuffle rocket_ when he remembered that Connie had no clue what was going on. Regardless of his own supernatural abilities, Connie was still new to all this. Though he was born a shapeshifter, the kid didn't have much exposure to this side of existence until three months ago, when he'd been the target of a werewolf. Becoming a victim wasn't the best way to induct a nine-year-old boy into the world of ghosts and ghouls.

Levi awkwardly patted Connie's head. "It'll be fine. No worries. See? Do you see me stressing out?"

Connie studied him a bit, searching his face with uncertain eyes. He frowned, turning away to hug his knees to his chest. "No," was the quiet reply.

Levi quirked a brow, racking his brain with ways to keep Connie's mood up. "What're you even doing up, Springer? It's a school night. You're like, what, in the third grade? Don't you have fractions to multiply?"

Connie drew his brow together and wrinkled his nose. "What's a fraction?"

Levi laughed. "Ahaha, nevermind. You'll learn it later, I guess. What're you doing in class?"

"Umm… I dunno. We're on vacation now."

"Oh, is that so?" Well, that explained why the little creature was out and about. "What made you wander way out here?"

"I just finished with Auruo. We played tag!"

Levi stared at him. "It's 3 in the morning."

"It was freeze tag!" Connie grinned, as if that explained everything. "I think he won, though. I haven't seen him for a while after he froze me."

Levi almost slapped his forehead. He stopped himself just before the skin of his palm made contact with his face. He dropped his hand and cursed under his breath instead.

Connie suddenly perked up, shifting to lean on his knees and straightening out. He rested his palms on the top of his head and looked far out. "I… I see Armin! Jean brought Armin with him! Now Eren's really gonna be okay, right Levi?"

Bring someone smart, Levi had told him. Armin couldn't have been better. Good job, Jean.

Armin was the first to come, with Jean lagging slightly behind, winded from the run. Both paled at the sight of Eren, though Jean seemed to be taking it harder than Armin.

Panic seized Jean hard; his eyes flicked between the two bodies on the ground, and his voice was loud enough for all of Marian Square to hear. "What happened?! A-And what's Professor Smith doing here?!"

"Eren's… gonna be fine, right?!" Connie blurted at Armin, only a few decibels louder than Jean. "You can fix it, right?"

Before Levi could tell Jean and Connie to kindly _shut the fuck up, we're in a public space, dammit,_ Armin raised his open hands before him and closed his eyes. _"Kcolb tuo sreppordsevae,"_ he chanted.

Jean and Connie glanced around before exchanging looks with each other, gazes finally locking onto Armin as if waiting for an explanation.

Levi rolled his eyes. Once a noob, always a noob. At least for a few decades. "He put us in a bubble," Levi clarified. " _'Block out eavesdroppers.'_ Because you lot are too loud."

Connie bobbed his head enthusiastically, as if agreeing that that was the best measure to take. Jean actually managed to look apologetic, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his sweats and looking away. His gaze ended up settling on Eren; his face paled again.

"What happened?" Armin demanded, sitting between Eren and the Professor. He seemed content with knowing that Eren was still breathing — that both of them were still breathing. Armin idolized Professor Smith, and Eren was one of only friends he's managed to keep.

Levi ran a hand through his hair, immediately cringing because ugh, that was blood in his hair. "Eren's a vampire. Induction party'll be later. You're all invited. Except him." Levi pointed to the Professor lying on the ground. "I don't know what the fuck _that_ guy's doing out here."

Jean brought his fingers to his temples. "Wait, I'm sorry. Mortal human here? Okay? So let's rewind a little bit back to the part where you said _Eren's a fucking vampire?!_ What exactly happened here? What did—" Jean's eyes narrowed suddenly. "What did you _do?"_

"Don't give me that shit," Levi snapped, shooting Jean a withering glare. "He lets me feed, but like hell I'd even entertain that bloody rakefire notion rattling that gowpen head of his."

Jean's words floundered in his mouth. "W-What—?! Rakefire? Gow…pen? What—" Jean dragged his fingers through his hair, resulting in a tangled mop of hair with unsightly strands sticking out this way and that. "Can you not use that Victorian shit? Nobody talks like that anymore!"

"It's Shakespearean, you fustilarian dalcop." Not all of it, but Jean didn't know either way.

Jean settled for blowing out his fury through his lips, cheeks puffing at the exertion. "Okay, whatever, then. What happened? Don't tell me _he's_ involved." Jean gestured to the unconscious body of Erwin Smith.

"You aren't listening to me. I said I have no idea why he's there. Eren went on a walk, was in the Square, and got shanked by a vampire. Not me. Another vampire. I got a call from him and came as fast as I could. He was already down when I got here. Managed to tell me what happened, so I had to test it out."

Connie's brow creased. "Couldn't you just, like, sniff him? Isn't that a vampire thing?"

"No, Connie, that is _not_ a vampire thing."

Connie deflated. "Oh. I thought vampires could tell each other apart by scent, or something. Like werewolves."

Levi turned an even stare at the young shapeshifter. "Don't ever compare me to those disgusting beasts."

Connie swallowed. "Oh. Uh, sorry."

"You stabbed him," Armin mused aloud, turning the focus of their conversation. "Why?"

"Some old Korean myth. Said if I could stop whatever he drank from reaching his heart, it'd stop the siring."

Jean scoffed. "I don't see how stabbing him in the chest is gonna stop whatever from reaching his heart. What, are you trynna keep some vampire voodoo life force from contaminating his mortal soul? "

Levi was less than kind in his response to Jean. "You better stop reading Twilight, cause that was some real bad fairytale bullshit you spouted from that gaping hole in your face."

Jean's whole face twisted fiercely. "What's your damage, man?! Are you trying to—"

"EREN'S NATURAL HEALING ABILITIES," Armin began loudly, defusing the argument before it could burn; he resumed in his usual quiet voice, "kick in immediately to restore damaged tissue. Depending on the severity of the wound, Eren could be rendered comatose. However, vampires can be paralyzed and, rarely, rendered comatose from a chest stab. Eren's abilities haven't begun to heal him yet… so it's very likely a result of being paralyzed. Unless there's evidence to point otherwise, at this point I think it's logical to surmise that he's been sired."

Jean raked his fingers through his unruly bedhair. "Are you sure this was the only way to tell? Kinda drastic and, well, _risky as hell_ if you ask me. Couldn't you just, you know. Use a cross to check if he'd been turned?"

"This isn't a movie, Kirschstein."

Jean clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Sorry, let me sign up for a class on vampire lore next semester."

"Take one of Hange's classes. It'll do you some good."

"Professor Zoë's an astrophysicist! I can't take an advanced astrophysics core! I'm a freshman!"

"Well, that's stupid."

"Yes, it _is!_ It's a stupid move! I can't just take an advanced class on something I've never even heard about!"

"Isn't that why you take classes in the first place? To learn new shit?"

Jean made some dying noise in the back of his throat before he slapped his forehead. "You are such a lost old soul, it's pitiful. How does Eren even put up with you?"

"Well he's _dead_ now, in a manner of speaking, so there's that."

Levi wasn't surprised when Jean reached over Eren's unmoving body to fist the front of his shirt.

"Jean, stop it!" Armin gasped in alarm.

"No! This bastard thinks this whole shit's a fucking joke." Anger lit a terrible glint in Jean's eyes. Levi was almost impressed. " _You_ might not have a life to worry about anymore, but Eren does! Take this seriously!"

Levi used just his thumb to detach Jean's fingers from his shirt, making a show of his strength, and clenched his fist over Jean's wrist when he tried to get away. "I _am_ taking this seriously. You're the one who's refusing to accept the facts here. If you want Eren alive so badly, stop being a coward and get rid of that shitty attitude of yours."

Jean wretched away with a furious glare. Jean was red in the face, though with anger or embarrassment Levi couldn't care what. The idiot was actually going to say something back when a weak, gurgling cough stole away their attention.

"Eren!" Armin turned back to his friend.

Seized by a coughing fit, Eren barely managed to spit out the bloody mucous he was hacking up. Eren's eyes widened in panic; his uninjured hand came up to clutch his bloody chest, now slowly starting to hiss and steam. "I-I can't— Can't _breathe_ —" Eren somehow rasped, wheezing desperately and digging his heels into the dirt.

"You're okay," Armin spoke, shaking hands betraying the calm with which he spoke. "You're okay."

Suddenly, Eren snapped forward with a snarl, sharp teeth barely grazing the skin on Armin's left hand. His eyes narrowed into slits, green eyes laced with red that was starting to bleed into the iris. The first bloodlust; and thus, a new vampire was born. Levi cursed loudly in some language he forgot he even knew. "Connie! Jean! Hold him down!"

"E-Eren!" Armin nearly shrieked.

Levi dropped heavily on top of Eren, holding down his flailing arms. The steam hit him like a hot geyser, and he hissed as it made contact with his own skin. It's fine, he told himself; you'll take care of it later. "Keep him still!" he barked behind him. "Connie! Make use of yourself! Auruo isn't around you just so you two can play tag!"

There was the familiar warping sound as Levi felt the presence of the youth behind him grow big. Connie, in his new hulking form, sat on Eren's legs while Jean grabbed Eren by the ankles. Even so, Eren kicked out every now and then; Levi was apt to believe that Jean now swore more than Levi had in his entire lifetime up until this very point.

Eren released an animalistic howl at the giant mass behind Levi, and directed a hissing snarl at Levi himself.

Levi snarled back, baring his fangs and drawing out the strength that had laid dormant inside of him for almost ten years.

There was a second of hesitation in which Eren just stared unseeingly up into Levi's eyes. Then he wretched an arm free of Levi's grasp and tried to swipe Levi's face off.

Levi snapped his jaws sharply down on the incoming hand, making Eren howl in pain. The thick, bitter tang of Eren's new blood made Levi grimace.

"Don't hurt him!" Armin shouted, dodging Eren's flailing, injured hand.

Levi grit his teeth as he struggled to keep Eren's arms still. "He's not giving me much of a choice here!"

Somehow, Jean's frantic shout managed to reach Levi's ears over Eren's roaring chaos. "What the hell's happening to him?"

"Eren's going into bloodlust!" Armin shouted, voice wavering.

"He's _what?!"_ was Jean's bewildered response. "Can't you freaks remember that I'm _human?!_ I don't get any of this shit!"

"A-Ah, guys?" A nauseated look suddenly took hold of Connie. "I-I'm… I can't hold out for much longer."

"Fuck, fuck, _fuck!"_ Levi gnashed his teeth; this was getting out of hand way too fast. He felt the pulse of energy drop from behind him, and Connie was thrown off like a paper bag. Jean had no doubt been kicked away as well; there was nothing a mortal could do against a berserker, let alone a sired one. "We're running out of time," Levi hissed. "Jean! Get over here!"

Jean crawled forward; Levi didn't miss the way Jean avoided putting too much weight on his left leg. Jean's face twisted with a nervous grimace. "What— What do I do?"

"Give me your arm!"

"W-Wait a minute!" Levi didn't have to see to know that Jean was probably as white as Levi's bedsheets on laundry day. "You can't be serious!"

"As per request, I'm taking this whole joke of an issue dead seriously. Get the fuck over here."

"But then— H-He'll— We can't reverse it if he—"

"Goddammit, Jean!" Armin screamed, sounding close to tears. "We don't have any choice! Eren's gonna get hurt if he doesn't feed!"

The shock of Armin's outburst made Levi freeze for half a second. A terrible, terrible mistake. Because at that moment, Eren wretched free and lunged forward.

Jean screamed.

* * *

For what it's worth, that whole ordeal could have been a whole lot worse than it turned out.

Jean ended up having to take a leave of absence because of the sheer amount of blood Eren had sucked right out of him. For the first few days after the incident, everyone believed he wouldn't make it.

Levi could tell, though. He could tell Jean would be alright. Anemic, but alright.

They didn't talk much, he and Jean, but they were on okay terms and managed to get along. "Okay," meaning they avoided each other like the plague, and "get along," meaning Jean didn't mean to try and punch Levi in the face all the time and Levi didn't mean to be a caustic jackass piece of shit around him.

You would think that having over five centuries worth of life experience would mean you'd be a little more mature, but clearly Levi was doing something wrong. It was probably the fact that Levi was 12 when he was sired. He only managed to look like a high school senior after the 2000s rolled around. You could imagine all the shit people thought he was able to do looking like that. Absolutely nothing. Once a kid, always a kid, Levi just said. Whatever. He'll grow up later.

Eren was lucky. He was 20, and 20 was a good age to be for a while. Old enough to do the fun things, but young enough to be stupid. It was a good age. Jean hates it; something about not being able to hang around his best friend when he's in his forties and not look like a creeper, or something. Whatever that meant.

Losing Eren as a companion left a sour taste. Literally. Levi had no idea what Hange was eating (or not eating), but Hange's blood was a weird mix of tangy and sour. Not really his cup of tea (dark and sweet was his preference), but it would have to do. Moblit said he'd do something about it, but Levi doubted it really did have to do with eating habits. Humans were strange creatures; they developed particular scents and flavors as they aged. Like wine.

Ugh, Levi hated wine. That was what got him knocked out and sired in the first place. What a sick motherfucker…

"Levi?"

The voice of his old history professor shocked him out of his thoughts. He was back on a park bench in Marian Square, holding a bag of popcorn in one hand and throwing kernels to the pigeons with the other.

Ah-ha. Erwin Smith. Levi still had no clue why the guy had stumbled upon them in the first place, but Armin made certain to wipe his memories clear of that incident. After cleaning himself up, Levi jostled the old man awake right in the middle of the park, and made up some shitty story about Erwin getting hit by a bottle that came out of left field.

The old bloke bought it, laughed it off, and let Levi play the role of a concerned student by walking his dear professor to the closest train station.

What a fucking night. He could hardly believe it'd been six months ago, and time was a fading concept for a 500-(and then some)-year-old vamp.

Levi put on his best impress-the-teacher smile and turned to the old man. "Hello, Professor Smith. Keeping an eye out for stray bottles?"

The big moron actually found humor in that. He chuckled, a deep rumble that Levi decided he didn't mind. "At this hour? It's still light out. I want to keep my faith in humanity for a while longer and believe I'll be safe. Besides, I have a great, upstanding citizen to aid me in my time of need."

"…For an old man, you're pretty embarrassing."

Erwin quirked an eyebrow, but Levi saw how the corners of Erwin's mouth rose just a fraction of an inch. Huh.

"It's the same for you, isn't it? You're still young, but you've got quite the old soul there."

Ah…? Levi turned fully to him, ten parts interested, one part wary. "What do you mean?"

Erwin gestured to the empty spot on the bench. "May I sit?"

Levi just tossed some popcorn at the cooing pigeons fluttering around them. "It's public property. Do what you want."

He watched Erwin set some papers on the bench first before taking a seat himself. The stack of papers acted as a wall; Erwin sat a good distance away even then, as if the one-tenths of wariness Levi was feeling at the moment was a turbulent wave that would knock him over if he were too close.

"It's a Friday afternoon. Not many people your age sit on a park bench and feed pigeons. Not even my grandfather did that."

Levi snorted, flicking a kernel at a pair of pigeons. "You sayin' I'm older than your grandpappy?"

Erwin laughed, loud and booming, with laugh lines creasing the corners of his eyes. "Grandpappy?" he repeated, turning to him with a dopey, ear-to-ear grin.

Levi spotted a dimple on the man's left cheek. Would Erwin laugh like that again if he poked it? Or would it just make him chuckle? Either would be fine, Levi thought.

Either would _not_ be fine, you idiot. Levi turned away, frowning. Stop being a freak. Feed your pigeons. Levi did just that, throwing a fistful of popcorn at the waddling pigeons.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean any offence."

Levi spared a brief side-eye at Erwin. The old man looked genuinely concerned, brow creased and lips set in a stern line. A dab of guilt shone in his eyes— guilt for what? Levi almost snorted. What a dork.

"S'fine." He held up the bag of popcorn between them. "Wanna join?"

Levi should not have been so pleased to see the way Erwin's whole face relaxed back into a grin. But he was.

"Yes, thank you. I hope I'm not imposing," said Erwin Smith, the most upstanding of upstanding citizens this side of the Sina Wall. The dopey old bloke was polite as fuck. Wow.

Levi felt the bag dip as Erwin's hand reached in. For a human, the old guy was pretty huge. His hand seemed to fill up the whole bag, and delivered a rainshower of food to the gleeful birds. The guy was built almost like a werewolf. The fleeting thought made Levi grimace. Jesus, there was no way… But, just in case, Levi sniffed carefully, turning on the switch in his olfactory senses to heighten them.

"Are you cold?"

"No," was the immediate response. It had more bite to it than he'd intended. Oh well. At least he was able to confirm Erwin's human mortality. No musty doghair stench. Just the pleasant, deep scent of musky cologne.

"Friday or not, you should take better care of yourself. Don't stay so long outside, even if winter is coming to an end."

"Okay, _dad_. I'll do just that."

Erwin laughed, this time only a few gentle "haha"s rolling into a soft chuckle. "Do you always do this on Fridays?"

Levi thought back to Erwin's earlier quip of "old soul" and "not even my grandfather did that." He pursed his lips. "Not all the time."

Erwin smiled, eyes crinkling at the corners. "You're not a bad liar. I would've believed you if I didn't always see you out here."

Levi arched an eyebrow. "You spyin' on me or something?"

"Or something," Erwin admitted, looking embarrassed for half a second. He turned back to the tallest of buildings standing on the north side of the Square. "My office overlooks this spot of Marian Square. I see you here all the time, every Friday."

"Admiring me from afar?"

"I don't mean it that way," Erwin quickly recovered. "I'm sorry if that troubles you."

Levi shrugged. "Whatever. It's fine. I'd stare the shit out of my window if I had to grade papers all the time in a square box of an office."

Erwin laughed again, loud and booming. Something warm spread in Levi's chest. He couldn't squash it. It wasn't a _bad_ feeling, so he let it go.

"It's not so bad. At least, not as bad as you put it."

Levi set a kernel of popcorn on his knee. "Yeah, well. I'm not much of a scholar." He flicked the kernel and watched it shoot through to a pigeon with a bum leg. He brushed his pants off as well as he could.

"Oh? Your work says otherwise. Your thesis on the Elizabethan era was remarkable. Even Professor Zacharias says so."

Levi couldn't help but wrinkled his nose at the mention of Mike Zacharias. He couldn't believe that disgusting beast of a creature managed to inch into a professorship of all things. What a joke.

But, good for him. The poor guy's finally found something for himself. And he's even got a little wife. What a cute story.

"Your insight into the era was quite refreshing. It's almost as if you've seen that part of history. Like you've lived that life before."

Wow. How many times has Levi heard that line in his life? A million times too many.

"I did a lot of research," said Levi as he threw two handfuls of popcorn.

"Few students know where to look in their research. Your reference list tells me you know more than you're letting on. Like your fluency in Old English texts."

Levi shrugged. "I told you, I did a lot of research."

Erwin just smiled a knowing sort of smile. Levi didn't really like that one. "Have you ever given some thought about what you'd like to do?" Erwin asked. Levi didn't miss the hidden tone of suggestion within the layers of that voice.

Levi turned toward Erwin, not surprised at the stony quality of cheer written on the professor's face. He was fishing for something; not quite what Levi had been wary about, but fishing around nonetheless.

Levi looked away. "I figured maybe I could major in pigeon-feeding, or something," was Levi's shitty answer. He hoped Erwin took the hint and changed the subject of the conversation.

But Erwin was having none of that. He continued as if Levi hadn't said anything. "You must have a historically inquisitive mind, to be able to doggedly pursue after something with such resolve. Old English takes a while to grasp, and you're still in your first year here."

Levi turned to Erwin; he was just about to tell him he wasn't interested in whatever it was that Erwin was trying to get him to do, but it was a mistake to turn around. Levi felt the full weight of Erwin's deep, intense gaze on him. For a brief, terrifying moment, as Levi's breath caught in his lungs, Levi thought Erwin could see through him— right into that old soul of invaluable worth to a historian— the soul of a man who's lived and breathed for 523 years.

"It's rare for a first year to have the kind of historical insight that you do. I'd like to help you develop that. Aren't you curious? The things you could uncover with your skills? Isn't there something you'd like to discover? Something lost to history that you could find? A strategic play, an artifact… a person?"

The hand holding onto the bag of popcorn clenched tightly. The shock of hearing the paper bag crunch in his grasp startled him enough to turn sharply away.

"I'm not interested."

Surprisingly, Erwin drew back. That damned smile on his face was still there. Levi wanted to scratch it right off.

"It's okay. You're still young. You've got plenty of time to figure out what you want."

I've had 500 years, Levi wanted to say, and I'm still floundering around. What say ye to that?"

"Well, I should be off now. These papers aren't going to grade themselves," Erwin said, taking them in his hands again. "Oops—"

A stapled concoction of 42 pages slipped off the pile, nearly taking off the head of a pigeon. At once, the birds ascended into the air in a frightful stir of flapping feathers.

Levi couldn't help but laugh. "Is that how you lost my "remarkable" paper, Professor Smith? Lost somewhere in a park?"

Erwin actually looked sheepish. "Ah, that. Actually, I found it in the backseat of my car last week. It was buried under papers from two years ago. I never thought to look there until I had to clean it out."

"What are you doing with shitty two-year-old essays?"

"Well, I didn't know they were two years old. I assumed they were— Ah, never mind. This could go on, I'm afraid. I'm… I'm not the best with organization. I haven't the time."

"…I'm surprised anyone trusts you to handle priceless artifacts."

"That's another issue entirely. Those are invaluable to humanity. Of course I would take good care of them. Oh, dammit—" Erwin suddenly shook his wrist in the air, a frown marring his face.

Levi peered curiously at the professor. "What's wrong?" he asked. Or so he thought. He couldn't tell. Because his senses kicked into overdrive just then, honing in on the telltale sliver of red that shone brightly underneath the delicate layer of skin on Erwin's index finger.

He could barely hear the distant echoes of what Erwin was saying in response to whatever he'd remarked.

 _"Oh, nothi…"_

The sliver of red gleamed like a gem, and though Levi had just fed in the morning, enough to lay off for a few months, the thirst returned with such incredible force, his mouth went dry and a strong ringing tinned in his ears.

 _"Just_ _…_ _papercu… by accident_ _…_ _"_

The scent that consumed him made him thirst from the most primal of instincts; he knew, just by sight, by smell, the decadence of that blood: the promise of a dark, rich taste; the ease with which it would slide down his throat, soft and smooth like silk; the way it would fill him for days with euphoria, with that dizzying feel of a lazy buzzing in his head, always from a good feed — a _very_ good feed — and this one, perhaps better than ever before—

It was gone before he could blink by a quick swipe of a thumb.

Levi blinked rapidly, all too aware of the cold sweat that had broken out on his back, on his brow. His tongue was thick and dry in his mouth, and suddenly he was salivating so much he had to swallow three times and clench his jaw to get himself back under control.

"Well," Erwin said, standing up and mortally oblivious to what was happening to Levi, "I'll be off. I'll see you around sometime, Levi."

"W-Wait!" Levi shouted before he could stop himself.

Erwin turned around to look at him, and Levi's stomach churned when he saw that that wretched smile was back. He'd claw that off him some day, right after he got a taste of that blood running through that stupid, dorky old man—

"Yes, Levi?" he asked with all the patience of a saint.

For the first time in centuries, Levi was at a loss for words. He blurted out the first thing he could remember to say. "I-I'm— I'm interested. In the thing. The research thing."

When Erwin smiled, it was real; the brightest Levi had ever seen, brighter even than that kid with the Jesus-complex and a million freckles, "THAT DUDE FROM CHEM," as Eren had endearingly called him.

"What changed your mind?" Erwin had the fucking gall to ask.

"Do you want me or not?" Levi snapped, letting his sudden bloodthirst get the better of him.

Erwin quirked an eyebrow, the humor still in his eyes. "As a professor, I can't answer a question like that."

Levi almost sputtered. "You know what I mean," he grumbled at last, barely containing himself from slapping his forehead. And Erwin's face. Because damn.

Erwin just laughed. "I'd love to have you as a research intern. Come," he gestured with a jerk of his head, "we can discuss the details in my office. You'll really enjoy this. We've got a great team on a rather peculiar mystery, you see."

Mystery or no mystery, Levi didn't give a shit. There was blood he needed to have. Not— Not _all_ of it, mind you. He wasn't raised to be an uncouth raggabrash. But. Just… enough. An indulgence of sorts.

"It may be a bit out of your historical expertise, since the research focuses on the unwritten period of the Great Walls, but I think you'll find it fascinating nonetheless. There's a lot of lore that draws people in. Titans, and the like."

The guy was into supernatural shit? Just his luck. Maybe he was the type to switch from the archaic to the more contemporary side of the lorebook.

Speaking of contemporary lore…

"Hey." Levi licked his lips. "What do you know about vampires…?"

* * *

.

.

.

 **Acker-Thing1:** Levi  
 **Ackert-Thing2:** Mikasa  
 **beary$$$:** Sasha  
 **bertlequertle:** Bertholdt  
 **braunzer:** Reiner  
 **douchecanoe:** Jean  
 **FatheroftheYear:** His dad  
 **HEYHEYHEYHE-man:** Armin  
 **monstervagina:** Annie  
 **sproinker:** Connie  
 **THAT DUDE FROM CHEM:** Marco  
 **The Mother:** His mom


End file.
